11:18 pm - A Word Which Here Means, "You Should Comment Horribly on This Terrible Post"I always thought I would enjoy A Series of Unfortunate Events, by Lemony Snicket (full Goodreads reviews: Book 1, Book 2, Book 3, Book 4, Book 5, Book 6, Book 7, Book 8, Book 9, Book 10, Book 11, Book 12, Book 13), and when I discovered that the audiobooks were read by Tim Curry, I thought NOW IS THE TIME. (Books 3, 4, and 5 are read by Lemony Snicket, who is perfectly entertaining, but he is no Tim Curry.)

A Series of Unfortunate Events is Lemony Snicket's chronicle of the terrible misadventures of the Baudelaire orphans, whose parents died in the mysterious fire that destroyed their home. Violet Baudelaire, the oldest, is an inventor, and she is frequently called upon to invent things to get them out of trouble, like MacGyver meets Tesla. Klaus Baudelaire, the middle child, is a reader with mad research skillz, able to find answers in books and recall things he read in books years ago. Sunny Baudelaire, the youngest, is a biter. Because she is a baby, no bigger than a salami, and she has four very sharp teeth. Her language skills are not as developed, however, so she must express her complex thoughts in baby talk that is translated by Snicket or her siblings. You guys, Sunny Baudelaire is amazing. She is the Greatest Baby Character in All of Literature, Possibly Fiction. The brilliance of Sunny Baudelaire is that somehow Snicket is able to have his baby and eat her too: she is able to do things no baby should be capable of doing, like cooking or stapling, but everyone can still pull out the "She's just a baby!" excuse, and it totally works.

The Baudelaire orphans are wonderful characters, instantly lovable, so of course we hate to see them terrorized by the greedy Count Olaf, who has his eyes on the Baudelaire fortune. He is their first guardian, and he schemes with his acting troupe to get a hold of all that money, but, thankfully, the children thwart him and are sent to live somewhere else...where Count Olaf shows up in disguise, once again trying to get their fortune. The early books are extremely formulaic, and some are even self-aware about the formula, and I didn't think I could take thirteen books of the same formula over and over. Luckily, I didn't have to! Because the book reveals a series arc, and suddenly there is much more to the story, and the Baudelaires have more to do than simply escape Count Olaf over and over. And then later on, there's a paradigm shift that shakes the formula up again, all as Snicket continues to build an intricate, absurd world populated with colorful, gimmicky characters.

The series is essentially a whole lot of gimmicks thrown together. Since I expected the fiendish cleverness and metatextual delight of Pseudonymous Bosch, I was initially a bit disappointed that the only tricks Snicket seemed to have up his sleeve were reminding us that things would be terrible and defining words for the reader. He does expand his repertoire with each book, though, although those two do remain trademarks of the series. What I love about the series is the way Snicket plays with language, picking apart common phrases and taking them literally. He also enjoys defining characters by one singular motivation taken to extremes, leading to much amusing repetition of phrases. As a result, character development is minimal, but when it does appear, it usually centers on one of the major themes of the series, in which Snicket again tries to have it both ways: he constantly stresses the dichotomy of good and evil but also acknowledges the messiness of moral ambiguity.

The biggest gimmick of them all, however, is Lemony Snicket himself, who, of course, is actually Daniel Handler. But Snicket frequently refers to his own backstory and a relationship with a woman named Beatrice, and I soon became just as interested in his story as I was in the Baudelaires', especially because they seemed to be connected in some way. And the Baudelaires' story became more and more interesting as the series went on and they uncovered more about—oh, but I have said too much already, as the series is full of wonderful surprises. It builds an intriguing mythology.

And then...well, the last book is not what I expected. Amusingly enough, it reminds me of the Lost finale, which I actually did like, but I suspect many people will find it similarly dissatisfying, although others will find it lovely and emotional. I only mention that as a caveat, however. Because despite my disappointment with the ending, I did not regret my time spent with the Baudelaires at all. They're such great kids! Snicket's writing is immensely entertaining, and Tim Curry's performances are rich and delightful, and I enjoyed the build-up to the end, at least. The whole series is a lot of fun, and I do recommend it.

I tried to read A Series of Unfortunate Events once and couldn't really get into it, but I'm thinking I might have more luck with the audiobooks. I've had that happen with a few stories (the one which springs most readily to mind being The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, which I still have not actually finished, since the last chapters were taken off the site and the audiobook isn't due to be released until May, ugh). I am especially hopeful now that I've looked up who Tim Rice is. (Also a bit ashamed that I had to look him up, how did I forget someone so awesome?)

I will have to leave The Princess Bride review until a day when I am not quite as exhausted and can devote the proper mental attention to it. I once got into an argument with a girl who was convinced that The Princess Bride was definitely an abridgment of an earlier work, while also claiming that it was one of her favourite books that she'd read multiple times. It was a stressful conversation.

I am especially hopeful now that I've looked up who Tim Rice is. (Also a bit ashamed that I had to look him up, how did I forget someone so awesome?)Well, Tim Rice is a Disney lyricist.

But he is also awesome. But perhaps not as awesome as Tim Curry.

One of my college roommates refused to believe me when I told him that there was no original Morgenstern. I provided many valid arguments, but, even when confronted with the obviously modern writing style, he wouldn't budge!

Also, he's close friends (and occasionally a collaborator with) Stephin Merritt, aka The Magnetic Fields. Indeed, it has once rumored that the song "Come Back From San Francisco" was written about him. (Though both parties have disputed this.)

I found those books somewhere around #7 or 8, and had to anxiously await the last few to come out. I even went to a reading where Daniel Handler showed up because Lemony Snickett was horribly delayed and he played accordion at us.The ending isn't my favorite; it's fine, I don't hate it, but I don't feel like it was a bullseye.

I've enjoyed all the MarkReads stuff I've gone through, usually as a time-killer during short rehearsals. Maybe I'll have to get in on one in action..

ASOUE was recommended to me by one of the kids in the class I read Coraline to. (I tried not to end that sentence with a preposition, but then I got confused and gave up.) I take book recommendations from ten-year-olds very seriously. I probably exclaimed aloud at least once per book, "I love you, Lemony Snicket!" After I finished the series, I decided to try some of Handler's more adult works, and ended up reading Watch Your Mouth, which...well, a bit too much incest and golems for my taste, but I was sort of morbidly fascinated all the same.

Mark Reads The Princess Bride was the most fun I've had reading a book in ages. Part book club, part RPG, part fanfic, all fun.